African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, 1990

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was adopted in 1990 by the Organization of African Unity (OAU).* It was created in response to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which the UN had ratified a year earlier.

The member states of the OAU felt that the UN convention overlooked some of the social, cultural, and economic realities that were being faced by children in Africa. As a result, this charter worked to incorporate African values and experiences into the goals of the UN convention. It serves as a document outlining and protecting the rights of children to be free from abuse, sexual exploitation, gender discrimination and use in armed conflict.

*The Organization of African Unity was established in May 1963.  Its goals were to encourage cooperation and integration between member states and to eradicate colonialism.  It disbanded in 2002 and replaced with the African Union.